David Cameron's “crazy” plan to repatriate powers from Brussels will allow
paedophiles and criminals to run free, Europe’s most senior justice official
has warned.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Viviane Reding, the vice-president of the European Commission, attacked the Prime Minister over the Government’s proposal to opt out of European Union law enforcement and policing measures.

The justice commissioner expressed particular concern that the Government was “minded” to opt out from 135 EU crime and policing laws, including the European Arrest Warrant (EAW), which, she claimed, had “horrified” Britain’s own police force.

“Do you want criminals and paedophiles running around freely on the streets? Is that really in the United Kingdom’s interest? It is crazy,” she said.

In June 2014, the crime and policing legislation comes under the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice, handing control of sensitive extradition and policing issues to EU judges.

Under the Lisbon Treaty, Britain must either opt out of every measure or allow the EU jurisdiction over all 135 pieces of European legislation, a substantial transfer of sovereignty.

Mr Cameron is under pressure from back-bench Tory MPs to show that he has won a new political “settlement” that claws back or “repatriates” powers from the EU. Opting out of the justice measures provide him with an opportunity to declare a victory and will avoid Conservative splits over giving the EU courts ultimate power over extradition cases and cross-border police operations.

Reflecting hardening attitudes in Europe, Mrs Reding, the centre-Right commissioner from Luxembourg, rejected any possibility of Britain “repatriating” powers from the EU.

“You have to make up your mind, either you belong to it or you don’t belong. There is no cherry picking,” she said. “That status quo cannot be undone. We will certainly advance to make it more coherent and stronger.”

Mrs Reding, the longest serving EU commissioner, said that British police and law enforcement agencies were of the “same opinion” over any move to opt out of justice measures.

“It is the British police that made an outcry of horror when they heard the British Government wants to opt out of certain instruments that are essential for Britain to defend itself,” she said.

The European Arrest Warrant (EAW) was opposed by Mr Cameron when the legislation enacting it into British law passed through the Commons 10 years ago. Under the warrants, Britons are automatically deported to the EU countries demanding their arrest, even for crimes that are not an offence in Britain.

Ministers are split on whether Britain should leave the EAW system, which was used to return Osman Hussein, the July 21, 2005, bomber, from Italy.

Senior police officers and the Liberal Democrats oppose leaving the system, but most Tories want to pull out unless the EU arrest warrant is reformed.

Mrs Reding, who is responsible for the EAW, is not sympathetic to reform and noted that the measure was introduced at the demand of Jack Straw, the former Labour home secretary, in 2001.

“I am not planning to change it,” she said. “We do not need to change it. What I have done is build a new system around it which protects the rights of suspects.”

Mrs Reding argued that 19.3 million Britons travelled to France every year and 12 million to Spain and one million lived abroad, meaning that EU agreement on justice protections was important.

“The UK needs this because its citizens do. The whole discussion of opting in or opting out is against the interests and rights of British citizens,” she said.